Golf club grip



E. E. HALL GOLF CLUB GRIP Oct. 18, 1938.

Filed Sept. 14, 1936 Patented Oct. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

In the use of golf clubs, if the player be right handed, it is customary to guide and control the swing and delivery of the shot with the left hand, and to employ the right hand primarily for the 5 purpose of adding speed and force to the blow. A true coordination of movements requires that the guiding function of the left hand be unimpeded and not interfered with by the grip of the right hand, and in these circumstances, an

expert player will ordinarily grip the club more firmly at its upper end with the left hand and with a lighter grip in the right hand so that the turning or twisting movements of the shaft necessary for its accurate control will not be 5 interfered with.

It is frequently difficult to coordinate these gripping movements satisfactorily since the ordinary handle grip of a regulation shaft is covered throughout with a winding of leather so that a uniform coefficient of friction is presented to both of the hands. The object of the present invention is to provide a hand grip having its upper covering section formed of rubber or a rubber-like composition possessing a relatively high coefficient of friction with the lower section of the handle grip formed as heretofore of leather or an equivalent composition having a relatively low coefficient of friction. In these circumstances the player will naturally and instinctively secure a tighter or firmer grip by the left hand than by the right hand irrespective of attention directed to this requirement, and experience has shown that the average performance of a player, whether an expert or one of only moderate skill,

can be materially improved by the use of a handle grip having the characteristics of the present invention.

Experience has also shown that the provision of a frictional grip for the upper hand tends to prevent a twisting or turning of the shaft at the instant of impact so that there is a reduced tendency to divert the course of the ball from the line of approach of the club during the swing. Further objects and details will appear from the description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a golf club having a steel shaft and having a handle grip wherein the upper and lower sections abut in flush relation to one another;

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged cross-sectional views taken on the lines 2 and 3, respectively;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a wooden golf club shaft embodying the features of the present invention in a modified form; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 10 represents a tubular, tapered steel golf club shaft of a type now commonly in use having a head ll of any desired'character. The upper end of the shaft constitutes the handle section and is provided with the usual inner fabric covering 12. The upper end of the shaft which is grasped by the left hand of a right handed player has mounted 1o) thereon an upper grip section [3 in the form of a sheath of rubber or other similar rubber-like material or composition having a relatively high coefficient of friction. The upper grip section is preferably of a length to accommodate the palm 15 of the left hand throughout without protruding downwardly to a great degree, although some players may prefer that the upper section be extended somewhat to permit the hands to be lowered to the desired degree in playing short. .0 The length of the upper rubber frictional section will be determined more or less by the players preference, and some players may not desire to employ an upper grip section which is contacted by the entire palm of the left hand so I long as sufficient provision is made to afford a sufiiciently extended gripping surface for the upper hand to secure the benefits characteristic of the present invention.

Below the upper section I3 is a lower grip to section 14 which in the form shown in Fig. 1 terminates in its upper end in fiush relation to the outer surface of the upper section so that there will be no break or shoulder at the point of junction for the two sections. The lower sec- 35 tion I4 is preferably of leather wound spirally in conformity with the prevailing practice, and since the lower grip section differs in no matter, save in length, from conventional practice, a further description is not deemed necessary. 40 However, the present invention may have its embodiment of a lower grip section formed of material other than leather provided that it presents a gripping surface having a lower coefficient of friction than that of the upper section. 45

Fig. 4 shows a modification in which a leather wrapper l 5 extends throughout the handle of the shaft in conjunction with a tubular rubber sheath H5 which overlies the leather wrapping and affords the gripping surface for the upper hand. 50 In this instance the upper section I6 is of a larger exterior diameter than the lower gripping section which affords a shoulder or abutment at the lower end of the upper gripping section. Fig.

4. illustrates a wooden shaft I! having a club 55 head [8, but it will, of course, be understood that either of the forms shown may be applied to solid Wooden shafts or to metallic shafts interchangeably, and that the particular types of shafts described serve merely to illustrate particular embodiments of the present invention.

In use the upper or left hand in the case of a right handed player will grasp the upper gripping section either throughout its length or through so much thereof as is necessary to obtain the firmness of grip required in controlling the swing of the club and the delivery of the shot. Some players may prefer the construction illustrated in Fig. 4 which presents a larger or thicker handle section at the upper end which may in some cases afford a more effective grip than the section illustrated in Fig, 1. Irrespective of the detailed construction demanded by the personal preference of a player, the upper section of the handle will afford a more effective grip for the upper hand than can be obtained in the case of a club having a handle of uniform frictional coefficient throughout. Furthermore by providing a frictional grip at the upper end, it becomes unnecessary for the player to direct particular attention to the tightness of the grip imparted by the left hand, since twisting or maladjustment will be prevented by the inequality in the frictional surfaces presented even though the shaft be grasped with equal firmness by both hands. The value of this feature is particularly evident at the instant of impact since any stroke which does not impact the ball at the center of the driving face will tend to impart a twist to the club, which, however, will be overcome by the friction afforded by the upper grip.

The construction of Fig, 4 is one which permits the effective diameter of the upper end of the club to be increased to any desired degree either by the choice of a rubber sheath of the required thickness or by the use of padding or the like interposed beneath the sheath prior to its being fitted on to the upper end of the handle section of the shaft.

It will be understood that such terms as rubber and leather are employed merely as representative of a class of materials and that the essence of the present invention lies in the provision of a handle grip having upper and lower sections presenting varying coefllcients of friction irrespective of the particular substance or material employed to obtain this result.

I claim:

In combination with a golf club shaft having a handle of leathery material, an upper cylindrical hand grip encircling and frictionally engaging the upper end portion only of the handle material, and comprising a tubular section of relatively thin and flexible rubber material, the tube being of a length substantially equal to the width of an average hand and of a diameter materially less than that of the shaft handle on which it is engaged to elastically adhere thereto.

ERIC E. HALL. 

